SWAT questioned on presence in gathering

CEBU City Mayor Michael Rama questioned the alleged presence of  policemen from the Special Weapons and Tactics Team (SWAT) and Mobile Patrol Group (MPG) in a gathering of Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BO-PK) candidates in barangay Sapangdaku last Sunday afternoon.

“When you bring the police there should be the occurrence of crime or crime is about to be committed or there is continuing lawlessness. But in the absence of those reasons I don’t know what the police is there for,” he said.

Rama reacted to a report by Sapangdaku barangay captain Lorna Damalerio who visited her office shortly before noon yesterday.

“Is there another mayor in that instance?,” Rama said as he told reporters that he visits Team Rama gatherings on his own and without any SWAT personnel as back up security.

Rama said he wanted to speak to the police officials before he raises his concern to Senior Supt. Mariano Natu-el, acting Cebu City Police chief.

SWAT chief Arnel Banzon explained to Rama and to the reporters that the SWAT and MPG personnel were responding to an armed person alarm.

“We want to verify the cause of the alarm,” Banzon said.

Banzon said the armed person was reported to the MPG but as a policy, SWAT personnel would also provide back up.

“We weren’t informed that there was an alarm in the first place,” Damalerio said. Chief of Reporters Doris C. Bongcac